The WNBA today named Minnesota Lynx guard/forward Seimone Augustus its Western Conference Player of the Week presented by Kia Motors for games played Monday, June 14 through Sunday, June 20. The award is the fourth such honor in Augustus' five-year WNBA career. For the week, Augustus, playing in just her third and fourth games since tearing her ACL on June 17, 2009, averaged 21.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game as the Lynx swept a home-and-home series with Tulsa, moving them within 1.5 games of second place in the Western Conference. "In just my second week back, I never thought I'd win the Player of the Week award," Augustus said. "The support I've received from my teammates, coaching staff and especially the fans over the past year has really fueled me to come back stronger than I was before. The credit goes to them. As a team, we're all excited about how we're playing right now and think we can continue this momentum through the rest of the regular season and hopefully the playoffs." On Friday night, Augustus, playing in her first home game since June 12, 2009, made her long-awaited return to Target Center by scoring a game-high 27 points to lead the Lynx past the Shock, 78-67. The six-foot guard/forward went 11-for-19 from the field, including 5-for-10 from beyond the arc; the five three-pointers established a new career high for Augustus. The 27 points represent her highest total since June 16, 2009 at Sacramento when she scored 30 points. Augustus scored a team-high seven points in the fourth quarter as she rallied the Lynx from a 57-56 deficit after three quarters. Minnesota was winless this season when behind heading into the fourth quarter. A night later in Tulsa, Augustus scored 16 points to lead the Lynx past the Shock, 92-78. Augustus hit on 4-of-5 attempts from long distance, upping her total for the week to nine, a league-best for the week. Augustus came into the week 3-for-14 from three-point range on the year. The first overall pick of the 2006 WNBA Draft, Augustus previously earned the award on June 15, 2009, June 2, 2008 and June 5, 2006. Augustus is one of only three players in Lynx history to receive Player of the Week honors, joining Katie Smith (June 16, 2000 and June 3, 2001) and current teammate Candice Wiggins (June 29, 2009). Other candidates for the WNBA's Western Conference Player of the Week were Los Angeles' Tina Thompson, Phoenix's Diana Taurasi, Seattle's Lauren Jackson and Tulsa's Scholanda Robinson.
